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Wild Berry Stuffed French Toast

Huckleberry Stuffed French Toast made with the “Wonderbread” in my cookbook

We enjoyed this decadent, yet super simple to prepare, French Toast on our recent “glamping” trip through British Columbia. We had such a great time in Canada. On this particular leg of our journey we traveled from Nakusp to a remote cabin 35 kilometers north of Creston, BC.

On Day 3 of our vacation we left our cute little cedar chalet, which totally reminded me of a tiny house, at Nakusp Hot Springs. Nakusp is a commercial hot springs in a really nice setting but there was a little too much chlorine in the water for my liking. It’s a total bummer that in Canada the commercial hot springs must be treated with chlorine, but we didn’t know this until we got there! After devouring a plate of these fabulous paleo pancakes and Canadian black forest bacon for breakfast we and followed along the crystal clear mountain rivers and huge bright blue lakes until we reached the ferry terminal in Balfour.

The pools at Nakusp Hot Springs

In the afternoon I got a chance to soak at Ainsworth Hot Springs, where they had nice large swimming pools overlooking Kootenay Lake, but for me the main attraction was the hot spring caves that ran underground into the earth. The only big bummer about Ainsworth is that the chlorine was too intense for me. The idea of the caves was so cool, but once deep inside the steamy chlorine gas was so intense it just didn’t feel healthy to me! I just feel like the chlorinated water takes away all of the therapeutic and relaxing benefits I usually get from a natural untreated hot springs. We were told there are regulations in Canada that require all commercial hot springs to chlorinate their water, I am thankful that the hot springs I love to visit here in the US are still 100% natural and untreated!!

The Southern Section of British Columbia that we drove across really felt like the Land of Lakes! You’ve got these beautiful mountains and then at the base of the mountains are the lakes that seem to go on forever. And they are filled to the brim with some vibrant blue waters. In Balfour we caught a ride on a ferry boat that took us on a 35 minute journey up and across Kootenay Lake to join the highway that eventually led to the cabin we rented for the night.

On board the Kootenay Lake Ferry Boat

A couple of motorcycles on the Kootenay Lake Ferry from Balfour to Kootenay Bay

The Kooteny Cottage we rented far exceeded my expectations. It had a rustic feel but was of good construction. The two story house was hidden away in the woods and built totally “off the grid”. The kitchen and lights ran on solar power and propane, with a spring fed water system for drinking and bathing. In the upstairs bedroom we had a view of Kootenay Lake. Our nearest neighbor at this hideaway was likely the bear that was said to visit each fall to feast on apples growing in the garden.

For dinner I prepared a feast including featuring the fresh ingredients we have picked and purchased along the way. At a small butcher shop we bought 2 pork chops which I glazed with a little maple syrup and sea salt, and I topped them with a simple crab apple chutney I made featuring wild crab apples and a few feral granny smith apples we picked that afternoon. For a side dish I made my favorite kohlrabi hash browns (recipe in my cookbook) to which I added a pile of grated goat mozzarella cheese which turned them into cheesy crispy deliciousness. I was overjoyed to find out how much Canadians seem to love their kohlrabi as I found it in every market we shopped in. And this dinner featured the largest kohlrabi I had ever seen! And it was also the easiest to slice and it cooked up so nicely. I also wilted wild dandelion greens that I picked by a mountain creek that afternoon and cooked them in a little goat butter, sea salt, and a splash of red wine vinegar. Also featured on the plate was my grain-free super seed baguette bread (recipe in my cookbook) and a slab of goat milk butter. It was a delicious wild inspired feast!

The next day we awoke to a misty mountain morning. I whipped up this simple yet super satisfying French Toast using up the remaining thimble berries we had picked the day before and ingredients I had in the cooler. Now that I have experienced this French toast with a honey creamed goat cheese “mascarpone-like” filling and sweet tart berries there is no going back to the boring old French toast I used enjoy!

Our breakfast at the cabin, my Super Seed Baguette made into Wild Thimble Berry French Toast

Wild Berry Stuffed French Toast

6 slices of grain-free or regular bread of your choosing (pictured above I have used the paleo tahini wonder bread and paleo super seed bread recipes from my cookbook)

2 pastured eggs

2 Tablespoons coconut milk (or almond milk)

2 teaspoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided

optional: 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

optional: 1/2 teaspoon on cinnamon + pinch of fresh grated nutmeg

2 ounces goat cream cheese (4 Tablespoons)

1 heaping Tablespoon creamed honey (or other sweetener)

drizzle of maple syrup for serving

oil or bacon fat for cooking

Heat a saute pan up over medium heat. Add in a little cooking oil/fat. (I usually start off by cooking the bacon in a 2nd saute pan and drain off a little of the bacon fat as needed into the pan I use for cooking the French toast.)

Dredge each slice of bread into the egg mixture and fry for a few minutes on each side until lightly golden brown.

While keeping my eye on the French toast, I whip together the goat cheese, honey and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in a small dish. Whip by hand until smooth and creamy.

Spread a spoonful of the sweetened goat cheese over each slice of cooked French Toast and then top with wild berries (pictured I used huckleberries and thimble berries), and repeat, stacking them as you go, for a total of 3 slices per serving.

You can drizzle a little maple syrup over top or enjoy as is. I think the sweetened goat cheese adds enough sweetness that maple syrup is not needed, though what the heck, you just need to go “all out” sometimes, that’s what going vacation is all about, right!?

I love the way the wonder bread works for this French toast recipe. And I think it also makes a great regular ol’ breakfast “toast”. When you bake a loaf, I highly recommend toasting a few slices and topping them with jam and I also use a goat milk based butter. It makes a nice light and crispy toast, my friends say is just like the real thing.

We did go to Lussier Hot Springs an all natural free hot springs in BC, but it was so crowded that i just put my feet in. Beautiful setting. And we were “this close” to Elkford Hot Springs on a pretty rough gravel/mud road, but the last bit of road was too rough for our rental car to get through. It was getting too late in the day to hike in/out, so we have to save Elkford Hot Springs for next time.

On the way home we took the most relaxing and soothing dip at Symes Hot Springs in Hot Springs Montana. A quirky vintage hotel with a nice clean pool and hot tub all hot springs fed, but thankfully un-chlorinated. And we were lucky to be the only ones there on our visit!